Psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders and anxiety, are common comorbidities of alcoholism.70 An estimated two-thirds of people with antisocial personality disorder are alcohol-dependent.11 Depending on the individual, psychiatric symptoms may be manifestations of intoxication and withdrawal, or be precursors for the development of alcohol abuse.71,72 Diagnoses of psychiatric disorders, as well as alcohol dependence, are based on a range of symptoms, which potentially reflect distinct etiologies. There is substantial evidence indicating that most psychiatric disorders, similar to alcohol dependence, are complex disorders that have a substantial genetic component. It is likely that certain genetic components involved in the susceptibility to psychiatric disorders are also likely to contribute to the development of alcoholism. A prospective study of 11 -year-old children found three traits related to different dimensions on a personality questionnaire - specifically high novelty-seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence - were predictive of later alcohol abuse.73 Furthermore, certain genetic variants have been found to be associated with alcoholism as well as certain psychiatric disorders.52,74 Several studies of the genetics of psychopathology have identified common genes that may be associated
